Building construction



\ June 5,1945. T Km 2,377,788

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 2, 1944 INVENTOR. Zflz'fflesses Thomas Edward h'z'n ffor'ney Patented June 5, 1945 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Thomas Edward King, Hartsdale, N.

Y., assignor to Lord & Burnham Company, Irvington, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 2, 1944, Serial No. 520,719

4 Claims.

This invention relates to building construction and more particularly to prefabricated buildings which are generally made to certain specifications and assembled on the location on which they are to be used.

In illustrating my invention I have shown it adapted to a. simple construction in which the structure is made mostly of glass. However, this is purely for the purposes of illustration and it is applicable to structures where wall panels and other materials are used.

In this type of construction buildings are assembled in a plurality of sections. Each sash joins another to a fiat surface. Bolts normally extend through and hold the sash side by side in a secure manner but the joint is normally one between two smooth edges. Wood is normally used as the structural material. and due to its characteristics it will not always stay absolutely straight. It sometimes happens that two stiles of the sash do not touch even though they may be bolted securely together. This leave an opening through which wind and rain may penetrate.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple construction which will more securely close the joints and which will provide means to carry off any water which works its way through the outside of the joint.

off any water which might leak or work its Way through the joint at 28. The adhesion between the Water and the walls of the heart-shaped drip a groove 21 will cause the water to travel along the concave on its inner surface 32. It is provided Other objects and advantages of my invention 1 will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a greenhouse constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of a joint between two sash taken on the line 2--2 of Fig ure 1;

Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective View of a sash;

Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of a half spline.

Referring more particularly to the drawing a greenhouse I0 is constructed ofa series of panels or sections II, l2, l3 and I4 and may consist of as many sections as desired. These sections may be of sash construction and are provided with stiles l5 and I 6 at their edges. The stiles are bolted to a connecting stile by means of the bolt I1 extending through the opening 3. Each of the stiles carry the panel I 9 fitted in the groove 20. As shown in the drawing panel I9 is glass but may be of any other material suitable for building purposes. Each of the splines l5 and iii are provided on their joining surface 25 with a concave drip groove 26 which forms with the corresponding drip groove on the adjoining stile a heart-shaped drip groove 21 adapted to carry' with screw openings 33 on one side adapted to receive a screw 34 which extends into one of the stiles. Since the spline is slightly concave a screw on one side holds the spline tight on both sides and it is only necessary to place screws at intervals on one side. In addition to the foregoing the concave shape of the spline causes it to act as a gutter to carry out any water which may be driven through the joint and not caught by the gutter 21. formed by the drip grooves 25.

It will be seen that my construction is simple of manufacture and provides a water tight and generally wind-proof joint which may be readily prefabricated and assembled.

I claim:

1. In a building construction having a series of sections joined together through their respective stiles of corresponding drip grooves in said stiles on the inner surface of said stiles, said drip grooves forming with each other a heart-shaped gutter spanning the joint, its apex pointing in the direction of the outside of the building, thereby providing non-communicating gutters on both sides of the joint into which any water seepage through the joint will pass in response to the force of adhesion exerted by the walls to said gutters.

2. In a.building construction a joint comprising two members bolted together, the meeting edge of each of said members having a concave groove forming a heart-shaped drip gutter spanning the joint, its apex pointing in the direction of the outside of the building, thereby providing non-communicating gutters on both side of the joint into which any water seepage through the joint will pass in response to the force of adhesion exerted by the walls to said gutters, the interior faces of each of said members being rabbetted and a spline member having a concave inner face fitted in said rabbetted portions forming an additional gutter.

3. In a building construction having members bolted together to form a Joint, a pair of noncommunicating drip grooves on the meeting faces of said members into which grooves any water seepage through the joint will pass in response to the force of adhesion exerted by the walls of said grooves, the interior edges of said members being rabbetted to define a rectangular opening, a spline in said opening, said spline being slightly concave, and screws holding said spline to one of said members.

4. In a building construction having members bolted together to form a joint, a pair of drip grooves on the meeting faces of said members forming a drainage gutter spanning the joint and thereby providing non-communicating grooves on both sides of the joint into which any water seepage through the joint will pass in response to the force of adhesion exerted by the walls of said grooves, the interior edges of said members being rabbetted to define the rectangular opening, a spline in said opening having a concave inner .face, said spline being fastened to one of said members and due to the concave face tightly contacting the other of said members.

T. EDWARD KING. 

